1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data transmission via a network between a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of data of documents, photographs and the like are transmitted and received among apparatuses connected to a network such as a local area network. Data are transmitted in various transmission methods. For example, image data can be sent with a facsimile transmission, or a file can be sent by being attached to an electronic mail. In order to transmit data, an operator at a transmitting apparatus selects a transmission method, designates a receiving apparatus (a destination) with a telephone number, an electronic mail address or the like and instructs to transmit the data to the receiving apparatus.
In order to help an operator to set the destination easily for data transmission, it is known to provide abbreviated dials, one-touch keys or the like in a transmitting apparatus. An operator can register destination information such as an address and transmission conditions to an abbreviated dial, a one-touch key or the like. Only by selecting and operating one of the abbreviated dials, one-touch keys and the like, data transmission can be executed with the setting registered to the selected abbreviated dial, one-touch key or the like. (Hereinafter an abbreviated dial, a one-touch key or the like is referred simply to a one-touch key.) In order to assist the registration to a one-touch key, it is known to register destination information such as an address and transmission conditions based on transmission history. For example, in a facsimile apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication H06-225035/1994, a telephone number and identification information of a destination are extracted from response signals received from the destination and registered in a storage device in correspondence to the one-touch key. In another facsimile apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication H07-283923/1995, when it is decided that the data transmission is terminated normally, the telephone number of the destination is registered to an abbreviated dial.
In a data transmission apparatus having a plurality of one-touch keys, when an operator intends to select one of them, he or she distinguishes the setting for transmission based on information displayed with characters on the one-touch keys. However, it may not be easy to distinguish the setting when the display area assigned to one-touch keys is limited. In such a case, an operator has to display and observe detailed information on the relevant one-touch key in order to confirm the destination. Then it is proposed to represent a destination with an icon (image) in order to recognize the destination visually. For example, in a facsimile apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2001-256124, an icon for a one-touch key is selected and is registered in a database for storing destination information. Before data is transmitted, one-touch keys are displayed with icons for helping an operator to designate a destination. When the operator selects one of the icons, the destination registered to the one-touch key represented with the selected icon is set, and the transmission is started. In another facsimile apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2002-290643, it is possible to edit an icon or to get an icon from an external apparatus.
As explained above, when icons which represent one-touch keys are displayed, an operator can distinguish or select a one-touch key among them easily. In this case, icons have to be created by the number of destinations to be registered at the transmitting apparatus. Then, it is needed to create the icons or to select, download and process them from the contents stored in an external apparatus, but this is troublesome for users of the apparatus. Therefore, it is desirable to help the transmission setting including an icon at a transmitting apparatus.